2006 Xerox Super Cup Gamba Osaka 3-1 Urawa Reds
@ Kokuritsu Stadium, 35,674 attendance
Gamba: Own Goal 2 min
Reds: Horinouchi 9 min, Washington 17 min, Ponte 51 min
>>J's Goal provided from-the-pitch footage stream
Tickets for this game apparently sold out with 45 minutes of going on sale, and it was a great pre-season event, heating things up for the opening round of the J1 season (J-league starts on March 4).
Needless to say, these two teams are at the top of the watch list this season, after bringing in some notable new transfers.
Gamba Osaka's Game
Despite the result, and the fact that it was a game with a title at stake, the Gamba side are not demolished by the outcome of the match in terms of their optimism regarding the season. Due to national team responsibilities, Endo, Miyamoto, and new transfer in Kaji (from FC Tokyo) have barely trained with the team, and only Endo was started in this game from the NT group.
In the first half, Gamba looked understandably awkward. First, with goal-getters Oguro and Araujo gone (these two alone scored the majority of goals last season), new acquisition Magno Alves (from Oita Trinita) was left stranded up top and the team couldn't find much in the shape of attack. They got the first goal off a set piece, but that was an own goal. New transfer Myojin (from Kashiwa Reysol; many of you probably remember him from his NT days) was placed as right defender in the 3-back formation, but that is not the position he has normally played, and there was a certain amount of discomfort in the communication there. Still, he has a lot of experience and wasn't so bad. And with the play being balanced by Endo and Hashimoto in midfield, there was a certain degree of potential seen in the attack.
In the second half, Gamba manager Nishono decided he would throw Kaji into right back and change the system to 4-back, and sent in forward Bando (from Vissel Kobe). These two made a positive difference to the team, and there was more flow to their game. Reds lost some of their momentum with the score at 3-1, but it was clear that Gamba was controlling more of the second half and made a number of promising plays. The problem being with that last bit of finishing and timing. Bando tangled nicely with his teammates, keeping an eye on their positioning; Kaji's strength on the right, moving up and down the length of the pitch, brought more variation.
Urawa Reds' Game
For Urawa, this was the first step in a year that promises to be perhaps their biggest, in terms of winning the league title. Their new squad gives off an unbeatable impression -- not only do they have Ono back from Feyenoord, they got Washington (from Tokyo Verdy), not to mention the many other players who have been tied to the national team in the recent year. And waiting in the wings is Tatsuya Tanaka, and new transfer Soma (from Verdy) who many expect will threaten Santos' place on the left. And then you have Ponte, who is now even more free to play creatively with Ono next to him sharing the game making responsibilities.
Before the game there were some concerns about the balance, with Washington up top, Ponte and Ono under him, Hasebe and Keita Suzuki behind them. Just a few minutes after they gave up the own goal to Gamba, Reds equalized off a FK from the left. At 17 min, a lovely vertical pass from Ono up to Washington allowed him a one-on-one meeting with the goalie, ending with a good shot for goal number two. At 51 mins, a mid-range shot from Ponte sealed the deal.
What was most notable was the amount of pressure Reds put on in defense. The goal from Washington was set up first because the pressure Reds put on Gamba's possession forced them to make errors in passing -- that error was intercepted by Ono for the feed forward. The goal from Ponte also came from pressure as well -- Washington scrambled for a loose ball inside the Gamba box against two defenders, and the loose ball was pounced on by Santos and Ponte. Santos got possession and sent it to Ponte for the shot.
In offense, we also saw Washington being used well (despite the fact that he still isn't quite at top form yet) -- he played post to allow Hasebe and Ponte and Ono up with quick little passes, and the tempo was very good. Horinouchi, despite being a defender, also was aggressive about timing his runs forward and was involved in several almost-goals. It feels like there is a sense of healthy competition within the club, now that there are almost more quality players than there are positions available.
Things slowed down in the second half, after an almost too-spirited first half for Reds. And because Gamba put on the pressure by substituting Kaji and Bando, Reds manager Buchwald decided to take Ono and Santos off for Hosogai (left side) and Nagai. When questioned why he did not use Soma for Santos, Buchwald said that he wanted to stabilize the defense, and Hosogai was a more defensive player.
@ Kokuritsu Stadium, 35,674 attendance
Gamba: Own Goal 2 min
Reds: Horinouchi 9 min, Washington 17 min, Ponte 51 min
>>J's Goal provided from-the-pitch footage stream
Tickets for this game apparently sold out with 45 minutes of going on sale, and it was a great pre-season event, heating things up for the opening round of the J1 season (J-league starts on March 4).
Needless to say, these two teams are at the top of the watch list this season, after bringing in some notable new transfers.
Gamba Osaka's Game
Despite the result, and the fact that it was a game with a title at stake, the Gamba side are not demolished by the outcome of the match in terms of their optimism regarding the season. Due to national team responsibilities, Endo, Miyamoto, and new transfer in Kaji (from FC Tokyo) have barely trained with the team, and only Endo was started in this game from the NT group.
In the first half, Gamba looked understandably awkward. First, with goal-getters Oguro and Araujo gone (these two alone scored the majority of goals last season), new acquisition Magno Alves (from Oita Trinita) was left stranded up top and the team couldn't find much in the shape of attack. They got the first goal off a set piece, but that was an own goal. New transfer Myojin (from Kashiwa Reysol; many of you probably remember him from his NT days) was placed as right defender in the 3-back formation, but that is not the position he has normally played, and there was a certain amount of discomfort in the communication there. Still, he has a lot of experience and wasn't so bad. And with the play being balanced by Endo and Hashimoto in midfield, there was a certain degree of potential seen in the attack.
In the second half, Gamba manager Nishono decided he would throw Kaji into right back and change the system to 4-back, and sent in forward Bando (from Vissel Kobe). These two made a positive difference to the team, and there was more flow to their game. Reds lost some of their momentum with the score at 3-1, but it was clear that Gamba was controlling more of the second half and made a number of promising plays. The problem being with that last bit of finishing and timing. Bando tangled nicely with his teammates, keeping an eye on their positioning; Kaji's strength on the right, moving up and down the length of the pitch, brought more variation.
Urawa Reds' Game
For Urawa, this was the first step in a year that promises to be perhaps their biggest, in terms of winning the league title. Their new squad gives off an unbeatable impression -- not only do they have Ono back from Feyenoord, they got Washington (from Tokyo Verdy), not to mention the many other players who have been tied to the national team in the recent year. And waiting in the wings is Tatsuya Tanaka, and new transfer Soma (from Verdy) who many expect will threaten Santos' place on the left. And then you have Ponte, who is now even more free to play creatively with Ono next to him sharing the game making responsibilities.
Before the game there were some concerns about the balance, with Washington up top, Ponte and Ono under him, Hasebe and Keita Suzuki behind them. Just a few minutes after they gave up the own goal to Gamba, Reds equalized off a FK from the left. At 17 min, a lovely vertical pass from Ono up to Washington allowed him a one-on-one meeting with the goalie, ending with a good shot for goal number two. At 51 mins, a mid-range shot from Ponte sealed the deal.
What was most notable was the amount of pressure Reds put on in defense. The goal from Washington was set up first because the pressure Reds put on Gamba's possession forced them to make errors in passing -- that error was intercepted by Ono for the feed forward. The goal from Ponte also came from pressure as well -- Washington scrambled for a loose ball inside the Gamba box against two defenders, and the loose ball was pounced on by Santos and Ponte. Santos got possession and sent it to Ponte for the shot.
In offense, we also saw Washington being used well (despite the fact that he still isn't quite at top form yet) -- he played post to allow Hasebe and Ponte and Ono up with quick little passes, and the tempo was very good. Horinouchi, despite being a defender, also was aggressive about timing his runs forward and was involved in several almost-goals. It feels like there is a sense of healthy competition within the club, now that there are almost more quality players than there are positions available.
Things slowed down in the second half, after an almost too-spirited first half for Reds. And because Gamba put on the pressure by substituting Kaji and Bando, Reds manager Buchwald decided to take Ono and Santos off for Hosogai (left side) and Nagai. When questioned why he did not use Soma for Santos, Buchwald said that he wanted to stabilize the defense, and Hosogai was a more defensive player.
Bonn is such a great name... I did a report on Beethoven when I was in grade school, so that's the first thing I think of everytime I hear the name. Funny how these things stick to you from childhood.
The core group left Japan for Germany on Saturday, and those from Reds and Gamba took a later flight that met up with Zico and Daisuke Matsui (Zico attended Dai's Saturday game in France) in Berlin. It was defender Yuji Nakazawa's birthday this Saturday -- Happy Birthday! I remember doing a >>profile on him last year on his birthday, and it's very strange to think how quickly this year has gone.
This morning the team, now joined by Nakamura, Matsui, Yanagisawa, and Oguro, trained in a light flurry of snow. I mentioned before that they are testing out the facilities they will be using for the World Cup (Japan's camp will be in Bonn), including the hotel and the practice grounds.
Since Takahara, Nakata, Inamoto and Koji have games to play today (Sunday), they will only be able to meet up with the team on Monday, the day before the game.
Since this is the last game that Zico has the authority to call his Europe-based players until June (aside from Yanagisawa, who is returning to Kashima this week), I wonder if he will force an all-Europe formation, or pick and choose according to balance.
Will Hide be used as an offensive half? Probably, though we've seen countless times that he is better another step back.
Will he insist on starting Kubo over Oguro? Probably, as Kubo is at the top of the forwards list, and Zico will want to see how he meshes with Nakamura (who loves him) and the others. The only thing preventing this would be if there is an issue about Kubo's condition.
The formation will most likely be 4-4-2, but in what combination, I am not sure.
From left to right: Nakazawa, Yanagisawa, Oguro, Miyamoto, Ogasawara, Nakamura, Tanaka, Komano, Matsui, Fukunishi. And in front, in grey is physical coach, Satouchi.
The core group left Japan for Germany on Saturday, and those from Reds and Gamba took a later flight that met up with Zico and Daisuke Matsui (Zico attended Dai's Saturday game in France) in Berlin. It was defender Yuji Nakazawa's birthday this Saturday -- Happy Birthday! I remember doing a >>profile on him last year on his birthday, and it's very strange to think how quickly this year has gone.
This morning the team, now joined by Nakamura, Matsui, Yanagisawa, and Oguro, trained in a light flurry of snow. I mentioned before that they are testing out the facilities they will be using for the World Cup (Japan's camp will be in Bonn), including the hotel and the practice grounds.
Since Takahara, Nakata, Inamoto and Koji have games to play today (Sunday), they will only be able to meet up with the team on Monday, the day before the game.
Since this is the last game that Zico has the authority to call his Europe-based players until June (aside from Yanagisawa, who is returning to Kashima this week), I wonder if he will force an all-Europe formation, or pick and choose according to balance.
Will Hide be used as an offensive half? Probably, though we've seen countless times that he is better another step back.
Will he insist on starting Kubo over Oguro? Probably, as Kubo is at the top of the forwards list, and Zico will want to see how he meshes with Nakamura (who loves him) and the others. The only thing preventing this would be if there is an issue about Kubo's condition.
The formation will most likely be 4-4-2, but in what combination, I am not sure.
From left to right: Nakazawa, Yanagisawa, Oguro, Miyamoto, Ogasawara, Nakamura, Tanaka, Komano, Matsui, Fukunishi. And in front, in grey is physical coach, Satouchi.
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